The sky was once again studded with stars, and the heavy footsteps of the Dorm Supervisor's lady's dress shoes grew closer and closer, tap-tap-tapping like some terrifying creature approaching.
The footsteps seemed to halt right outside the door of room 208 next door. Before long, the sound of knocking came from that direction.
Ever since Misaka-senpai was last caught secretly hoarding all sorts of contraband, coupled with her previous record of repeatedly staying out overnight, the Dorm Supervisor had significantly increased the frequency of room checks for 208.
Though her own room, 210, wasn't under as much scrutiny as Misaka-senpai's, it had recently been added to the Dorm Supervisor's list of key observation targets.
A certain girl with twin buns swallowed hard, a slightly nervous expression on her face as she quietly waited for the Dorm Supervisor's footsteps to gradually fade away.
"Thank goodness, the Dorm Supervisor didn't come today."
Her face immediately lit up with relief, and Natsume Sonoko let out a sigh.
Already changed into her pajamas, Natsume-san stretched lazily, a pleasant bone-deep weariness spreading through her limbs.
Even without everything that happened tonight, just the full day of P.E. classes alone was enough to kill a person.
Mimicking some massage techniques she'd looked up on her phone, Natsume-san diligently rubbed her calves, trying to ease the fatigue from her body, warming up for the battles of a new day.
'Just a few more days,' she thought. Once the teachers permitted ability usage for the Daihaseisai, Natsume-san was determined to float through the competitions and secretly amaze everyone.
"But what was that feeling exactly?"
It wasn't a question, just Natsume-san muttering to herself.
Pulling out her phone, she looked up more information about the president of the 'Orbit Portal Company.'
Gothic-style clothing, long golden hair, a small top hat perched on her head.
And her age was listed as only ten years old, her height just 135 centimeters.
She was quite a bit shorter than Natsume-san, who was, give or take, almost 150 centimeters tall.
'If Tokiwadai Middle School allowed free dress,' Natsume-san mused, 'I'd kinda like to try wearing clothes like that too.'
Shoving the phone into her teddy bear's belly, Natsume-san flopped backwards onto the sofa, her arms splayed out, sinking deep into the cushions.
The sofa's sides were made of metal, giving her a mysterious sense of security lying inside. Just throw a blanket over the top, and no one could tell anyone was lying there.
Her big eyes stared wide and unmoving at the ceiling for a good while before finally growing heavy with sleepiness.
'Forget it. Maybe I can find a chance to meet that president in person.'
Natsume-san turned over, resting her head on her arm. The spot Kamijou Touma had pinched red earlier had long since returned to its original fair color.
Gazing at her arm, Natsume-san rubbed her eyes, seemingly reminded of something else.
'Do things like souls exist in this world? Or is it just me?'
'And if souls belong to the category of illusions, wouldn't mine have been utterly destroyed the moment I touched Kamijou-senpai?'
'Or maybe it's because I can't touch a soul through physical matter?'
Still unable to figure it out, she simply pushed the thoughts aside. Natsume-san felt she already had enough troubles; no need to add more for herself.
Although nothing bad had happened, Natsume-san decided it was best to maintain a safe distance from that senpai, just to prevent any unexpected situations.
--+--
"Did you hear? Arisa's been invited to perform at the space elevator's opening ceremony. The press conference is today."
"Really? I thought she was just a regular street singer."
Eavesdropping on the whispers of passersby, Natsume-san was on her way to pick up Shirai-san from the hospital—or more accurately, she had just stepped out of the School Garden's main gate.
The incident at the park had ultimately become just another piece of trivia on urban legend websites.
The more popular news was still about the space elevator and the Daihaseisai, which had incidentally raised Meigo-senpai's profile.
But the high school girl who usually sang on the streets to bring happiness to others was nowhere to be seen today.
Hailing a white, complimentary transport vehicle, Natsume Sonoko seemed preoccupied, her body gradually turning transparent as she sat primly on it.
Originally, she should have been executing her 'wait-for-the-rabbit' plan, staying close to her target, but things had changed again.
Meigo-senpai had just received an invitation from the 'Orbit Portal Company' yesterday.
Today, she needed to go to the company's headquarters to sign the contract, get her makeup and styling done, and attend the official press conference, followed by her stage performance the day after tomorrow.
Though she didn't quite understand why the schedule had to be so rushed, she couldn't exactly complain about others being efficient.
She'd heard that Yomikawa-sensei was supposed to accompany her today, but she'd been urgently summoned to Anti-Skill headquarters to report on the eradication of the 'Science Association.' So, they had to temporarily ask her good friends, Tessou Tsuzuri and Tsukuyomi Komoe, to go instead.
And a certain Railgun, who couldn't stop worrying about Meigo-senpai—
—the moment she found out about today's press conference, made a few calls to confirm, and then rushed off to meet up with Meigo-senpai and the others.
She claimed she was going as Meigo-senpai's cheer squad, but she was really still worried this senpai might face another attack.
Before leaving, she had asked Natsume-san a favor: for Natsume Sonoko to first pick up Shirai-san from the hospital, then meet up together at the 'Orbit Portal Company' headquarters.
However, recalling that familiar feeling from yesterday, Natsume-san felt she really ought to go to that company too, preferably to see that Gothic-style, beautiful girl president with her own eyes.
Sitting on the swiftly moving white cylindrical transport, Natsume-san tilted her head, already picturing the disappointed look on Shirai-san's face.
'Looking forward to Onee-sama, wearing a gentlemanly smile, taking my hand and leading me out of the hospital, the two of us bathing in the warm sunlight together... only for Onee-sama to ultimately throw herself into someone else's arms...'
Based on Natsume-san's understanding of a certain Teleporter, there was a ninety percent chance she'd think exactly that.
When she arrived at the hospital, Natsume Sonoko explained why Misaka-senpai wasn't there. Shirai-san's reaction and demeanor were exactly as she had imagined.
A timely look of stupor crossed Shirai-san's elegant face. It was as if her soul had been drained away, her head drooping listlessly.
"The doctor said Shirai-san can be discharged now, but she'll need to use a wheelchair instead of walking for about half a month."
Uiharu-san, who had just reached the hospital, repeated the doctor's instructions, which were basically unchanged from the initial diagnosis.
"Understood," Natsume-san nodded.
"Natsume-san, can we go to Arisa's contract signing too?"
Beside them, Saten-san's face was full of expectation, her hands clenched tightly.
"Of course. Misaka-senpai already called and asked earlier. She said everyone is welcome to come," Natsume Sonoko recalled, then confirmed.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.